Yanvalou Drum and Dance Ensemble

 History
Yanvalou Drum & Dance Ensemble is a folkloric group that performs the traditional music and dance of Africa as it exists today in Haiti and Brazil.

The rhythms and dance performed are rooted in the African-derived tradition and rituals of Vodun in Haiti and Candomble in Brazil.

The Ensemble is a student group at Wellesley college comprised of students, staff, and visiting artists, directed by Kera Washington '93 and advised by Professor Gerdes Fleurant. 

 Yanvalou's Founding
Yanvalou was formed in 1990 by the group's current director, Kera Washington '93.

Motivated by her desire to learn Afro-Haitian drumming, Kera and a few friends began practicing under the instruction of Professor Gerdes Fleurant, who helped them discover musical traditions of Haiti.

They recruited friends who were interested in learning the traditional dances of Haiti and through the teachings of choreographer Isaura Oliveira, eventually added Brazilian rhythms and movement to their repertoire.

Over time, Yanvalou's popularity grew, and today, the group typically consists of 20 dancers and 10 musicians. 

 Past and Present Collaborators

 Performances

Yanvalou has performed at various events on the Wellesley College campus and has been invited to perform at many other area schools, including Brown, Harvard, MIT, Tufts, Wheaton, Rutgers, and St. Michael's.

They give a large performance at the end of each semester at Wellesley College to demonstrate what they have learned from visiting artists and events that semester. 

 Culture

The religious traditions from which Yanvalou comes are Vodun in Haiti and Candomblé in Brazil. These religions derive from West African ethnic groups brought to the Americas during the Middle Passage of the trans-Atlantic slave trade. Yanvalou is not a religious organization, but a folkloric ensemble, which portrays or acts out parts of a ceremony. There are no libations or prayers said and the members are not initiates into either religion. Instead, the members learn about these cultures and traditions through the music and dance. 

 Haitian Vodun
Vodun, the major folk religion of Haiti, grew out of the spiritual practices of various ethnic groups in West Africa, most notably the Fon of Dahomey from present day Benin and Togo, and the Yoruba from Nigeria. The rhythms summon the lwa, or spiritual entities, to the ceremonial space and the dance is a method by which the lwa communicate with the practitioners. Before a ceremony or celebration can take place, Legba, the gatekeeper, has to be summoned in order to bridge the human world with that of the lwa. 

 Brazilian Candomblé
Candomblé is a folk religion derived mostly from Yoruban religions of West Africa, found mostly within the Americas in Bahia, Salvador in Brazil. Dance and music is an integral part of Candomblé and is considered an expression of a deep connection with and pride in African heritage. Orixa are considered the intermediaries between the people and the supreme God and each has his or her own rhythm and movement. The rhythms call or summon particular orixa. The dance is a method of communication between the people and the orixa and ancestral spirits. 

 Elements

Yanvalou is made of two halves, the drummers and the dancers. The drummers play a variety of instruments in both Haitian and Brazilian styles. Because of the difficulty in finding many of the Brazilian instruments, they often play Brazilian styles on similar Haitian instruments.

Drummers learn rhythms both from their director, Kera Washington '93, and from visiting collaborators. Dancers learn Brazilian dances from choreographer Isaura Olivera and Haitian dances from visiting collaborators. Both halves come together to rehearse, plan performances, and make costumes. 

 Rhythm and Movement

Ogum is the firey god of iron and war, who is often found with a sword as a symbol of his strength in battle. Ogum has a terrible temper and is very stubborn. The movement is meant to reflect Ogum's power and resistance, so the arms of the dancers imitate machetes. Because Ogum clears the path of obstacles, dancers often move throught an entire space with a delibrate motion, seeming to cut anything out of their way. The rhythm for Ogum is driving and puntuated, giving the sense that Ogum is unstoppable. Ogum is represented by the color blue.
Oxum is the fresh water goddess of love and luxury, who is both graceful and refined. She likes to admire herself in her golden mirror and is often seen bathing in the river, singing sweetly. The movement of the dance of Oxum invokes both the wave imagery of a river and the vanity of Oxum, as the dancers turn around looking at themselves in their "mirrors." The rhythm played for Oxum is calming and the song is soothing, but can speed up and become more playful as the dancers show off their wealth, happiness, and pleasure. Oxum is represented by the colors yellow, gold, and coral.
Ibo takes his name from the Ibo people in Africa, who had a reputation for bringing their fate into their own hands. The rhythm and dance called Ibo represents the many of the struggles of the African people as well as their unwillingness to be passive participants in their history. The movement symbolizes breaking free of bondage and continued perserverence in the face of difficulty. Both the rhythm and dance are meant to show the strength and power of the African people, and has been used to protest decisions by people in power. Ibo is often represented by the color red, but can also be done with brightly colored scarves.
Legba is the gatekeeper and liason between Haitian Lwa and people. To summon Legba to the ceremony and welcome everyone, drummers play the rhythm Yanvalou, from which the group Yanvalou takes its name. Because of the welcoming aspect of this rhythm, Yanvalou is played at the beginning of nearly every Yanvalou performance. The movement associated with Yanvalou is a fluid snake-like motion moving up the spine and into the hands. Yanvalou often transitions into Mayi, an upbeat, energetic rhythm and dance, in which the fluid movement is abandonded for more disjointed movement. The dance Mayi usually portrays some aspect of posession, an important part of the Vodun tradition. Yanvalou costumes are white. 
 Instruments

The lead drum is called the rum, and like the manman in the rada set, the rum is played with stick and hand and is the lowest in pitch. The rumpi is the middle drum and is played with two sticks. The smallest of the drums is the rumpilé; it is also played with two sticks. The agogo, a double-bell, is similar to the ogau of the rada set.

Leading the ensemble is the manman, which is played with stick in hand. The manman has the lowest pitch of the set. The ségon is the middle drum in the set, and its rhythms usually respond to the manman. Another instrument in the set is the chacha, an instrument made from a gourd and stick that usually resembles a maraca. And then there is the ogau, a word that literally means "iron" and refers to any piece that is used as a bell. 

 Group
Yanvalou is made of a diverse group of students, faculty, alums, and other members of the Wellesley College Community. The ensemble rehearses three days a week, on Tuesdays, Thursday, and Sunday.